In a nod to those circumstances, the court’s liberal justices seemed ready to vote to uphold New York's law and affirm discretionary permitting programs.įred Guttenberg speaks as Gabby Giffords, wearing a red coat, stands with other gun violence survivors gathered in front of the Supreme Court ahead of oral argument in NYSRPA v. More than 35,000 Americans have been killed by guns so far this year, according to the independent National Gun Violence Archive. The debate over concealed carry rights comes as gun sales continue to soar across the country and gun violence deaths have continued to climb.

'The question before the court is, of all the approaches taken, is this one the Second Amendment must take off the table?' Such laws 'span 150 years in all regions of the country,' argued Principal Deputy Solicitor General Brian Fletcher. The text of the Second Amendment offers a guarantee 'not just to keep arms, but to bear them,' insisted Clement.Īn attorney for the Biden administration argued that history and tradition of gun ownership in the US has featured limits on concealed carry for decades. The New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, an NRA-affiliate, which brought the case has been hopeful that the Court's 6-3 conservative majority would affirm a sweeping right to carry guns outside the home for self-defense across the state. If you can have that difference for the purpose of hunting, specifically, why can't you have a similar tailored approach for the Second Amendment based upon if it's density in New York City, if that's a problem, the subway, then you have a different set of concerns than Upstate New York?' 'You can't hunt with a gun in Central Park,' said Justice Thomas, 'but I'm certain there are places in Upstate or Western New York where you can. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, who have long held an expansive view of the Second Amendment, suggested New York needed to better tailor its requirements to accommodate residents living in less-densely-populated rural areas. MORE: America has a gun violence problem.

Types of guns for concealed carry